Look for those Natural Spawn numbers to drop.
As diminished stocking happens the percentage of Naturals taken out of the system will increase dramatically.
The return  'percentage' may be similar but the total will be likely be decreased.
Perhaps that's the goal ???
 
NOT against what appears to be in front of us- in fact I support most of it.
Devils in the details though.

For the economy??? It's really tale of two bob'z if ya think about it (lol)

Many complain about it being detrimental, but atlantics would attract plenty. Of course price of everythimg would go up. The problem that would arise is the seperation of class, and rich prevailing over the more poor or moderate average joes. This river has been a **** show since I can remember. So this current situation of uncertainty, fefs, state, bait and stocks reduced is no surprise to me

If 1 boat did well and others didn't , winning by 1 or 2 fish with a total of 3 weight sounds about right .
I can't confirm any catches or experience on the Great Lake other then mine . Fishers at the dock may tend to keep things close to their vest .
Last year at this time I caught 2 fat Browns , 2 legal steelhead , 6 mature chinook & a giant sheepshead

This season : 2 Browns , 1= dink , 1 decent rainbow , 1 skippy coho .
I'm still in search of a Great Lakes tounge .

As for atlantics , if you catch one on the lake , it's just another rod shaker as are most fish out there . If you catch 1 in the river then it's a lasting memory .
Not sure what direction I would point to on them as they are EXPENSIVE for the return .
Personally , I think the **** is gonna hit the fan from the lake anglers . While the trib anglers have a great experience at a trophy trib run spawning run fish , I must say most of the revenue comes from the Great Lake

Just IMO from working at an industrial seaway port .
Things like dams, industrial warm water discharge , storm water runoff and pollution are major factors as to why a coldwater natural fishery struggles in the lower 48

Closing the zones will be the end of my trips to SR country,no way will I fish among the yankers and slashers below the bridge.

Closing the Zones and Orwell has been on, and off, 'the books' as options for increases by natural spawn for years.
 
 
Pulaski and Altmar of the future may not be what they were.

 
Cant wait for Thursdays likely reports on Wednesdays actual meeting and reality of the issues.
 

My suggested ONE Salmon was for the tribs,those caught on the lake are still edible....barely! Or better yet how bout making the entire SR a Fly ZONE C&R!!! That would make me happy.

Well jack , I like C&R most times but not all the time . I dissed a well known fly shop after the new owner told me the only way I could stay there was a no kill limit . Rubbed me the wrong way if I chose to keep a trophy fish or edible trout . If that were the case then why should we have to pay for a license . In hunting I buy one just for the fact I can put food on the table , not to sit in a tree stand and shoot them with a camera , lol. Just ribbin ya .
A 1 species limit would work for me . . If they closed the zones I could deal with that also because I learned on the river prior to them but it would put me back in the expensive play to play or totally outta the shark game all together . .
As Uglyfish said , there is a LOT of great angling available , all within the same 180 mile or less distance I drive almost weekly to the Great Lake .
Still , in my beginnings , it was the area and Great Lake that drew me to there . The fishing was secondary .
i enjoy the summers there which I would otherwise just be sitting home waiting for the other 3 seasons . Currently I have no plans to change this and only to expand on that .

Honestly I don't know the issues on the Canadian side . I assume the eastern basin was the indicator for most . The western end has a totally different program . They rely on a huge amount of pen rearing. Over there , it seems deep water , currents , temps and enough bait allow them to stick to that area until the spawn migration happens . Salmon don't always follow their natural instinct to return to their birthplace . They follow , bait , temps and schools .

Lakers might be the king of the queen of lakes ( lake George ) but will never fly on the Great Lake Ontario . It's chinook salmon that put people on charters . IMO , if the Kings crash , so would the charter industry which is very close to the peak days I recall in 1985 ish

Wow, i'll have to try and catch up tomorrow... but leave it to me to get the pot stirred!!! Lol :)

Thanks Clint!

Thanks Clint- VERY glad to hear its about the BAIT-even though there seems, as most suspected, a bleak near term outlook.
Seems those huge runs of a couple of years back followed by record icing have hit the bait hard for a while.

Hope you start to hit them Rich-
Can you still fish the discharge at the 10 Mile or did that go with the terrorist security changes.
When I started in 82 we used to go there and wade out as far as we could from the plant parking lot.
(hoping NOT to step off the slate ledges)
heck -guys would row drift boats from around the point to get there.

Here is part 2.  Yes Trev  a rep (the main guy rom Ontario ) from Canada has been at every meeting so far. They kept staying through and through that the charter signed between Ontario and NY states that Chinook is o predator for the lake and it is like a law.  At the end  they said that in a few months the scientists will make their report about what they think should be cut, in turn NY and Ontario's DEC will look at those numbers and make a decision. Here is the big IF , IF THE DESCISION IS LEFT UP TO THEM. Twice he alluded that there may be some sort of higher up that could over rule them......................
Keep in mind we will be missing the 4,5  and 6 year alwife in the next few years.
Lake trout and stockings.
 
LT can and will eat other things, they will eat Goby, plankton and other things. If the alwifes crash they will suffer , but make it through, just not grow as fast. They also do not get big fast like Chinooks. Takes 5 plus years for a LT to eat a Alwife that is 4-6 yo. So any lake trout that is stocked will not compete with salmon that are mature in the hard years to come. The competing fish, like the salmon are already in the lake. So cutting LT stocking may only hurt charters even more if the salmon keep declining.  Meaning would you rather have Less salmon and less LT or less salmon and at least LT to catch. If bad winters continue LT cuts will be looked at.
More browns in the unused tanks that raise Chinooks. Can't happen as it takes 6 months or so to raise salmon and over a year to raise browns, there also is not enough cold water from the res and they are maxed out at cooling water to raise any more. Extra money too.
Coho and steel can get away with eating the smaller Alwifes too so they will remain at par.
Natural repo numbers were questioned as captains and fish cleaners (Shane ) said the numbers they have seen do not support numbers reported by DEC for fin clipped fish. 
Why is the fishing better to the north and why do the fish just come up and run and not stage like in years past. Water temps, nutrients?? These were brought up. They think that these fish are evolving into their wn strain and losing the instincts of their Pacific ancestors. They are working on also mixing about 10% wild eggs into the gene pool to keep it fresh.
Any question shoot them I may have heard something else you want to know.